4:56PM, Nov 04, 2009
Most teenage boys spend their energies fretting about girls, gaming and the occasional zit.
But Michael Perham is no ordinary boy.
In 2006, at just 14 years old, Mike set a world record as the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic.
This Cutting Edge film follows his next record attempt two years later in November 2008 as the 16-year-old attempts the biggest challenge in sailing: a solo non-stop circumnavigation, something fewer people have achieved than have been in space.
The film follows his dramatic, and at times almost unbearable, struggle with wild seas, failing equipment and loneliness, while his parents, friends and girlfriend Beckie anxiously await his return.
Having originally planned for four months at sea, it soon becomes apparent that Michael will have to battle with the elements for far, far longer than anyone anticipated, and encounter difficulties he could never have predicted.
Two months ago Mike returned triumphant, but the teen refuses to acknowledge anything out of the ordinary about his achievements.
"There's nothing special about me," he insists. "I'm just an average kid from an average family and an average school.
"I guess you have to be a bit crazy to attempt something like this, he adds. "I was scared stiff. I could have died out there, but you can't dwell on that. You have to look a the positives. As for the waves - they were more exhilarating than scary. If you're scared of big waves, you probably shouldn't be sailing around the world."
Next year, Mike will be one of four men attempting to relive Captain Bligh's 4,000-mile trop following the mutiny on the HMS Bounty in 1789, with the same provisions, rudimentary navigation and absence of toilet paper.
"The problem is, adventure is in my blood," he grins. "I just can't help wanting to see what's out there."
Find out when The Schoolboy Who Sailed The World is on TV.
